Obama expands protection for California coastline

President Barack Obama finishes signing a document proclaiming the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands as part of the California Coastal National Monument during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 11, 2014. From left are: Scott Schneider, President and CEO, Visit Mendocino County Inc.; Leslie Dahlhoff, Former Mayor, Point Arena; Michael Boots, Acting Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality; Neil Kornze, Principal Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management; Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif.; Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif.; Nancy Sutley, Former Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is fulfilling a State of the Union pledge to preserve more federal lands by adding more California coastline to a national monument.

Obama on Tuesday signed a proclamation permanently protecting some 1,665 acres in Northern California's Mendocino County, just north of Point Arena. He says he wants to make sure the land is cherished and preserved for future generations.

The action expands the California Coastal National Monument that President Bill Clinton created in 2000. The protected area includes coastal bluffs and shelves, onshore sand dunes, tide pools, coastal prairies, riverbanks and the mouth and estuary of the Garcia River. Obama noted that it provides an economic boost to the region through tourism.

Obama's proclamation bypasses Congress, where many public lands bills have been stalled.